WHO Issues Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications
Under a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice encourages countries and companies to expand availability, via measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
People typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their usual food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
